Keep Your Anger Caged
by Lastew
Summary: I always wondered why Giles took such a chance attempting to skewer the Mayor in the library. What if there was more to it? What if he was goaded into it?


Title: Keep Your Anger Caged  
Author: Laura Sichrovsky  
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
Rating: PG or FRT  
Pairing: None  
Warnings: None that I can think of.  
Season: The end of Season Three.

Summary: I always wondered why Giles took such a chance attempting to skewer the Mayor in the library. What if there was more to it? What if he was goaded into it?

Spoilers: None really. Too vague.

Disclaimer: This is where I put the statement saying that I do not own Buffy, Giles (Heh! I wish!), Sunnydale, or anything relating  
to the show. No one is paying me to do this and if you feel the sudden urge to send me gifts, you might want to talk  
to someone about that. Joss Whedon owns all things Buffy and has not given me permission to use these characters  
as I have so if you have problems with the story, please send the pretzel bombs to me, not him.

Author's Notes: This is yet another of my Still Grrr prompts. This one is in response to the Mayor being a bad man. So, it got me thinking.

What made Giles go postal in the library at the end of Season Three? What made him so angry? Here is what came of that.

Thanks need to be given, and here is where they go. Thanks to Joss for creating characters so fun to watch and

to borrow for a bit. Thanks to Tony Head for making Giles so amazing. I tried to fight it, but he was just too

remarkable not to fall for. To Janet, and Michelle for the betas. I appreciate it! To Ann for everything. Your

patience makes my writing as good as it is. You are the best and I love you, dear! To Samuel for being

Samuel. Thanks to my amazing husband who not only doesn't get upset when my writing takes over, but who

doesn't freak about the men who live in my head. I love him so.

Keep Your Anger Caged

Rupert Giles sighed deeply as he put a book on the top shelf in the bookcage. He'd spent the last four hours researching the Ascension and he was tired. It was well after midnight and he knew he should go home and get an hour or so of sleep before he had to be back here, but he couldn't help hoping that the information they needed would be in the next book; or the next; or the one after that.

Giles was so wrapped up in translating book titles that he didn't notice anything odd until he felt someone staring at him. He turned just in time to see the door to the cage close. He went to it, looking at the man standing just out of reach. He felt a ripple of fear run through him, but he pushed it down and faced his enemy.

"Now, Mr. Giles, that was just plain careless," the Mayor said, smiling. "Maybe this is why you aren't the Watcher anymore."

Giles glared at him.

"Hey, I wasn't judging. To be honest, I preferred facing you. That Wyndam-Price just isn't up to your caliber." He took a step closer, his eyes glittering as he looked at Giles. "But I'm not worried. You were the one who raised her, who trained her. When your girl faces mine, yours will be the voice she hears in her head. In all likelihood, it'll be the last thing she hears."

Giles lunged forward against the bars, knowing the door wouldn't give, but hoping nonetheless.

"Oh really now," the Mayor said, his smile getting even bigger. "You could at least try to be a threat."

"And you could play fair by letting me out," Giles grated, throwing his weight against the door again. But a door that could hold a raging werewolf every month wasn't likely to give under the assault of one frustrated Watcher.

"I don't know why you're upset with me," the Mayor said conversationally. "Do you think this is how I wanted everything to turn out? Okay, it's mostly how I wanted it to go, but I still don't see why you have to cause so many problems. Everything was going fine here in Sunnydale. We had a prosperous, happy town and then you have to come here and bring…her. It's bad for business, you know. Tax revenues have dropped eighteen percent since you arrived and our nighttime tourist industry is all but gone. I'm having a devil of a time luring business owners back. After all, what self-respecting demon wants to set up in a town with a Slayer?"

Giles looked at him incredulously.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?" he asked, his tone slightly bewildered. "You are evil. And your folksy American charm doesn't change the fact that you are going to become a demon."

"Ahh, figured that part out, did you?" The Mayor took a step closer, though he remained maddeningly just out of reach. "It doesn't matter, really. There's nothing you can do to stop it. No, I don't want your pity. I simply wanted you to understand that you are completely alone in this fight. No one is going to help you, no one wants you to win. Right now your only ally is a vampire. That would be ironic if it weren't so wrong."

"So you are trying to frighten us off? Talk us into giving up?" Giles made no attempt to hide the disdain in his voice.

"Oh no. No, I don't want you to leave. That wouldn't be very sporting of me, would it? Just remember this conversation after my Faith has gotten rid of the Slayer problem. You can train her, teach her, heck, you can even love her. But in the end, when she faces off with my girl, when she faces off with me, you are going to be just as helpless as you are right now. Well, have a good evening, Mr. Giles. I'll see you at graduation."

With that, the Mayor walked out, leaving Giles standing in the bookcage, impotently pounding at the bars.

The End


End file.
